Brown the ground meat, drain. In a large frying pan, add the cooking oil/shortening and saute the bell peppers, onion and garlic until tender. Add the the cooked peppers, onions, and garlic to the meat in a large stockpot. Add the remaining ingredients (except the rice) and cook over medium/low heat for about 30 minutes. Serve the soup over rice. (I used sliced sweet peppers for garnish)